Callie's Dream
by Shakespoe
Summary: A gifset inspired prompt: Callie realizes her feelings for her best friend, Arizona, when she finds herself making mistake after mistake in her life searching for a happiness that was always right in front of her.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**: This was just a thought that sparked in my mind while scrolling through my dash on tumblr. There was a gifset that inspired this story and it's just sort of spilling out, so I decided to start posting it.

All characters are not mine, but from the brilliant mind of Shonda Rhimes.

Chapter 1 – Friends

* * *

Callie sat at the table in the cafeteria, picking at the salad on her plate. Rain fell against the giant windows lining the wall across from her, completing the dismal mood shadowed over her day. She breathed a deep sigh and closed her eyes, trying to stop the thoughts racing through her mind. Her hands started to shake just as a perky blonde set her tray down next to hers. She peeked through her fingers then buried her face again.

"Hey Calliope!" Arizona took her seat, brows creased in concern. "Is something wrong?"

Callie groaned in response and dropped her head to the surface of the table.

"That bad, huh?" The blonde chuckled silently to herself. Even during a temper tantrum, the Latina was absolutely adorable. She stopped herself from reaching out to her, reminding herself again that the woman sitting next to her was not interested in being more than just the friends that they were.

Callie lifted her head from the table and continued picking at her salad. "I'm just having a really rough day."

"I heard about the patient you lost this morning," Arizona reached out to take Callie's hand, but instead stole the carrot from the edge of her plate at the last minute.

"I wish that was all." She narrowed her eyes, playfully glaring at the blonde for stealing her food. She reached her fork across and stole a french fry off of Arizona's plate who pretended to ignore the move. "Today just sucks."

Arizona took a sip of her drink as her eyes narrowed, trying to figure out why today especially would be a hard day. Then it dawned on her; this was the third anniversary of George's death. "Oh," she sighed as the realization hit her.

Callie's eyes darted to Arizona's baby blues then fell to the surface of the table. "Yeah."

Arizona reached out and took hold of Callie's hand, putting her own rules and boundaries aside. They were warmer and softer than she had ever imagined they'd be. Her heart raced as Callie squeezed her hand, accepting the small gesture.

Callie smiled softly as Arizona pulled her hand away. "Thanks," she mumbled. "What about you?" She needed a distraction from everything today meant, and her best friend had always been able to provide that for her.

Her famous dimples formed on her cheeks as a wide smile spread across her mouth. "Weeellll," Arizona began, "I finally discharged Emily this morning!"

"No way!" Callie perked up at the news. Emily had stolen the hearts of every nurse and doctor in Seattle Grace in the several months that she had been Arizona's patient.

Arizona nodded enthusiastically before relaying the latest news in her recovery from her final surgery earlier that week. "She'll be back in a few weeks for a checkup, but she went home about an hour ago."

"That's so awesome! You're amazing, Arizona." Callie beamed. She was always blown away at how the blonde was able to turn her mood around completely without even trying. Arizona smiled back as Mark fell into the chair across from her. Callie went to ask her another question about Emily when Mark interrupted her.

"Ladies," Mark said, a sly charm lacing his greeting.

"Hey Mark," they said in unison. Their eyes met and they burst into a fit of laughter at their simultaneous greeting.

He rolled his eyes, used to their 'eye conversations' as he called it. "How are my two beauties doing this morning?"

Arizona paused and looked to Callie with a raised eyebrow. The Latina brushed off the comment and answered, "we're good…" she looked to Arizona and smiled, "…great actually."

Mark looked between the two women, but shrugged off the comment. "You want to get drinks at Joe's tonight?"

Again, Arizona looked to Callie, an excited sparkle in her eye. "I'm up for it, Calliope?" She paused, but after thinking about relaxing with her two best friends and drinking, maybe even telling a few stories remembering George, she nodded enthusiastically. It would be exactly what she needed.

Arizona's pager went off, signaling her exit. She stood up then reached down to touch Callie's hand again. "I gotta go, but text me if you need me, okay?" Callie nodded and smiled up at her friend. "See you guys tonight!" Arizona rolled towards the trash can to dump her tray then was out the door.

"What was that?" Mark took a bite of his apple as he motioned towards the door the blonde had just left swinging.

"Hm?" Callie dropped her fork onto her plate, giving up on her salad. "What do you mean?"

"You and blondie… You seemed rather touchy today." His eyebrow arched suggestively.

Callie creased her brow as a blush rushed to her cheeks. He was right, they had been a little more touchy than normal, which she for some reason really didn't mind; she liked the feel of Arizona's soft hand on her skin. She stood up walking towards the trash can with her tray. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mark followed her, leaning against the wall as Callie wiped her tray clean. "Oh come on, Cal."

"Shut up, Mark." She glared up at him, daring him to say something more.

He threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine, whatever. You want to assist on my nose reconstruction this afternoon?"

She cocked her hip, considering his offer. "Yeah, actually, that'd be great." A surgery with her best friend was just the distraction she needed.

* * *

Arizona sat at the bar at Joe's, fidgeting with her phone and waiting for Callie and Mark to walk through the door. She sipped her fruity drink, something new that Joe had come up with and wanted her to try. It was good; a mixture of strawberry and lime, something she wouldn't have tried but it worked oddly enough. She had been worried for Callie all day, and the fact that they were nearly half an hour late wasn't helping. She'd been texting her all afternoon of course, distracting her with funny stories, but she'd stopped answering nearly three hours ago. Her knee bounced as she scanned the crowd, her eyes falling on a particular redhead in the middle of the dance floor. _No._ Her heart stopped beating and fell into the pit of her stomach. _It can't be her._

Just as she thought things couldn't get worse, the redhead spun around, headed for the bar and locked eyes with her. She froze momentarily, but then a smile spread across her face and she ran towards her. The bell at the door rang, signaling the entrance of Callie and Mark into the bar just as freckled arms were thrown around Arizona's neck and lips pressed against her own.

Callie froze and grabbed Mark's arm, who looked over to her confused. "Cal, what is it?"

"SHH – shut up!" Callie smacked Mark's arm, her eyes wide as she watched Arizona push a woman off of her. "Some chick just kissed Arizona!"

Mark's eyes went wide and his head spun, looking for their friend. "WHAT?! WHERE!?"

Callie just stood staring at the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Kim! What the?" Arizona wiped her mouth and stood up. "What are you doing here?"

The redhead staggered backwards and looked up into Arizona's eyes, confused. "I'm here visiting my friend from med school! She's doing her residency at this place called Seattle Grace. It's spring break so I flew out here! I didn't think I'd see you, though!"

Callie and Mark walked up beside Arizona, a tan hand reaching out to brush Arizona's arm. Arizona looked over suddenly, jumping at the brush of contact that sent sparks flying across her skin in the way only Callie's touches had ever done. She met Callie's eyes which were searching to ask if she needed help. She gave a confident nod and turned back to Kim.

"You can't just kiss me whenever you see me, Kim. What the hell was that?"

Kim's fingers reached to touch her lips, realization hitting her that she had actually kissed her. "I uhm, sorry about that… I just… I'm really excited to see you again." Her tone dropped to a sultry swing.

Arizona took a step back towards Callie and Mark as Kim took a step towards her. She lifted her hands to stop her. "Kim, you need to stop."

Kim took another step forward, and Mark stepped in front of Arizona. "She said you need to stop."

Kim's green eyes dragged across Mark's body before flitting back to Arizona's eyes. "Who's this? I know it's not your boyfriend," she taunted with a smirk.

The blonde lurched forward, but Callie grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She looked over Arizona's shoulder. "Look, I don't know who the hell you are, but you need to leave." She glared at her, her Spanish temper rising. "Now," she spat viciously.

Kim looked to Arizona's eyes first, then into the stony stare of both Mark and Callie before huffing and turning to grab her purse and storm out of the bar.

The tension left the group as the door swung shut. Arizona turned to walk back to the bar and downed the rest of her drink. She hadn't seen Kim in nearly three years; she was finally starting to put that portion of her life behind her and now it was staring her in the face and kissing her. Callie and Mark sat down on either side of Arizona, their respective usual drinks sliding in front of them. Mark nodded to Joe in thanks as Callie turned to Arizona.

"So, you gonna tell us what the hell just happened?"

Another fruity drink landed itself in front of Arizona, who was turning varying shades of red as she stared into her drink. She worked her fingers around the stem then picked it up and drained it. She didn't answer Callie, just kept staring. She hadn't come out to anyone at Seattle Grace yet, and she hated that Kim was probably going to force that out of her now. "No," she mumbled. She was not ready to do this. Especially not to Callie.

Mark drained his beer and stood up. "Well, ladies, I'm gonna go dance. Care to join me?" He reached his hand out in invitation. Arizona didn't look away from her empty glass, her fine finger still spinning the glass by its stem. Callie looked to Arizona and sighed before taking Mark's hand, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor.

Arizona chanced a glance over her shoulder and immediately regretted it. She watched as Callie's hips met Mark's perfectly, making very, very sexy art out of the dance they were creating. She sighed as a shadow fell across her. She looked up to see Joe wiping a glass in front of her. He leaned down slightly, lowering his voice. "Want something stronger?"

A tear slipped out from her eye as she slowly nodded. He tapped the bar and walked away to get her another drink. The woman she had worked so hard to forget had just come barreling back into her life, the woman she ached for was dancing with the man that she had always swore to never be jealous of, so yeah, she needed a stronger drink.

Callie's rich laughter broke her of her thoughts as she and Mark came stumbling back to their seats. Mark leaned over to whisper in Callie's ear. She giggled and looked into Mark's eyes. She looked to Arizona instinctually wanting her opinion. When she saw that Arizona was now staring into a glass of scotch, her heart sank. She knew she was gone for the evening. She looked back up to Mark and bit her lip then nodded. Mark smiled and hooked his arm around her waist. She leaned in to hug Arizona quickly from behind.

Her heart skipped a beat as tan arms wrapped around her. She loved hugs from behind, they always made her giddy, but a hug from behind from Callie was sending her into a spiral.

Callie tucked a lock of gold hair behind her ear then leaned in close, her breath brushing Arizona's neck. "Text me if you need me," she whispered.

Arizona shuddered as Callie unwrapped herself, leaving the bar with Mark, laughter ringing between the two of them. She drained her glass as a whimper swept across her lips and her shoulders crumbled. _I always need you._

* * *

**AN 2**: So? Should I keep posting? What do you think? Be sure to follow, there should be quick updates if I decide to keep posting this… I have the next few chapters already finished.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Mistakes

* * *

Mark and Callie staggered together through the chilly Seattle night air. Spring was officially on its way and along with it only slightly warmer evenings that held a sharp coolness, keeping jackets a necessity. She breathed in the smell of fresh rainfall mixed with a faint ocean breeze that was uniquely Seattle and smiled. The rain that had fallen this morning had now turned into a beautiful evening with only a few clouds to blot out the starry night sky. This far into the city, you couldn't see that many stars, but she knew a spot from Shepherd's land that had an absolutely brilliant view. On a night clearer than this, she would go with Mark or Arizona or both of them and just absorb the gorgeous night sky… as well as a bottle of tequila or wine.

Mark's elbow in her rib broke her from her thoughts. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"I'm talking to you," Mark chided, a feigned expression of hurt on his face.

She chuckled and brushed the hair the wind had blown into her face behind her ear. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking if you knew that blondie was into the ladies," he responded.

Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened momentarily before she shut it purposefully and creased her brow in concentration. "I had no idea. I'm not so sure she is though, Mark."

"Are you kidding? Or did you not see the sexy girl on girl action back there?"

Callie stopped to punch her companion on the arm, eliciting a weak 'ow' from his lips. "Don't talk about Arizona like that, Mark. She clearly did not want that kiss, and you know it."

He scratched the back of his head. "I'm not so sure... I can't figure out why a random stranger would just walk up to her and kiss her, you know? There's gotta be some sort of history there."

"Maybe," she mumbled. The truth was she hadn't been able to stop thinking about what kind of history there must be for the redhead to be so comfortable kissing Arizona in public.

"Cal, there's no maybe about it." Mark shook his head slowly side to side. "Everything makes so much sense now!"

Callie looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" She grabbed his arm, drawing his attention to her. "And choose your words wisely. This is Arizona we're talking about." She glared at him protectively.

He knew how close the two women were and that he would definitely regret upsetting Callie, but he couldn't help a smug grin from pulling at his lips as he explained. "She wouldn't sleep with me. I tried…" confusion leaked through his voice. "Several times, actually."

Callie's mouth fell open. "Mark!"

He doubled over in laughter. "What? She's hot!"

Hesitation stopped her voice, not sure whether it was okay to agree with him or not. She was suddenly very glad for the cold night air hiding the blush rising in her cheeks.

He glanced over, taking in the awkward stance of his best friend. "Cal?"

Her eyes shot to his and returned quickly to the sidewalk in front of her. "Yeah," she mumbled. "I guess she's pretty hot or whatever."

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his mouth hanging wide open. "CALLIE," he gasped.

She looked over her shoulder and groaned when she saw the shocked look on Mark's face. "What? Come on, it's cold. I want to get back to the apartment already."

"No! Callie Torres, you like her!"

Callie reddened, embarrassment flooding across her face. "Shut up, Mark! I do not!"

His eyebrow rose teasingly. "You do! I can't believe this."

Callie stormed towards him and grabbed his arm, dragging him farther down towards the apartment. "Drop it, Mark."

"So you don't deny it?"

Callie spun on her heel to stare him in the eye. Anger rippled across her skin, arcing in a fiery spark between her nerves. She glared at him, but broke almost immediately when she saw the teasing eyes of her best friend. She let out a deep breath and released the tension in her shoulders.

"I was just kidding, Cal," his eyebrow rose, "but hey, I'm all for it. You're hot, too… you guys should just be hot together." He winked and chuckled to himself.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the door to their apartment building. "Come on."

She tried to force Arizona out of her mind, but the entire elevator ride up to their floor, she was the only thing she could focus on. Mark hadn't stopped talking, but she honestly had no idea what he was mumbling about. She didn't hear his words, she could only see Arizona, alone at the bar drinking her way through the aftermath of that random kiss. She had never seen Arizona like that before, and it broke her heart to think of her normally perky and happy best friend so upset.

Before she could register what was happening, she felt Mark's lips crash against her own. She hesitated, but returned the kiss, willing it to erase the thoughts of Arizona from her mind. This was simpler. Everything about the blonde just confused her and she wanted to stop being so confused. Mark was simple. Mark was easy. God, why couldn't she just turn her mind off for one second?

"Stop thinking," Mark growled as his lips latched onto her neck. They hadn't slept together since they had a friends-with-benefits deal two years ago, but he still knew exactly what turned her on. She swore she would never sleep with him again, but today had been a particularly shit-tastic day so when he offered a night with no strings attached to distract her, she caved.

Moments later, Callie careened into the apartment across the hall from her own, her body colliding against the strong physique of her best friend. His muscles tightened with the sudden contact and his hips surged to meet hers. Their lips crashed together, moans rippling through them both and echoing through the apartment. She slammed the door closed behind them as they stumbled backwards, crashing into the couch. Mark fell first, Callie falling on top of him. She leaned back and reached to the hem of her shirt to pull it off.

His hand landed on her stomach, holding her shirt down. She paused to look at him with a confused expression. "What?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

She had the memory of George haunting her, and the more recent memory of Arizona's lips on another woman incinerating her mind. She hadn't expected her stomach to flip in on itself with anger and jealousy at the sight of Arizona kissing another woman. She didn't want to connect the dots as to why she had reacted so strongly; the answer terrified and confused her. What she did need was to remember that she was a fan of penis, a huuuuge fan of penis, so she nodded frantically in response to Mark's question and ripped her shirt off.

He met her lips in a hungry passion and turned her hips to match his movements, showing her that he was ready too. "Bedroom," she moaned into his mouth. He lifted her off the couch and they danced together towards his bedroom, shedding clothes along the way.

* * *

Arizona sat at the bar, tracing circles around the coaster underneath her third empty glass of scotch. She didn't usually drink scotch, but she found it had a wonderful numbing effect. She had never expected to see Kim again, but the second she locked eyes with the green eyed beauty, all of the pain and haunting memories flooded against her, crushing her. Just the memory of the encounter emptied the air from her lungs. Needing a distraction, she reached into her purse, pulling her phone out and setting it on the aged wood of the bar top so she could bring up her conversation with Callie from earlier that day. She re-read the texts and found that her breathing finally started to come a bit easier.

A glass of water appeared in front of her, and she glanced up to see Joe's kind eyes and a small smile on his lips. "We're gonna close in a bit. You should get some water in you before you head home."

"Thanks," she said with a weak smile. He nodded and headed towards the opposite end of the bar.

She spun the phone in her hands, trying to decide whether to text Callie or not. The Latina had told her to text her if she needed her, and she did. She just had to decide whether to admit that or not. She knew she would have questions about Kim, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face that yet. Callie's face filled her thoughts and finally, she made the command decision. With a renewed confidence, she tapped the screen and picked up her phone.

* * *

Silence pierced the air of Mark's bedroom, broken only subtly by the gentle snoring of her bed companion. Silk sheets draped perfectly across her chest, hiding her naked form underneath. She stared at the ceiling, counting the number of shattered cracks that hung above her.

Callie took a deep breath as her mind wandered again back to Arizona. _Dr. Arizona Robbins._ The woman that made her heart race and her mind go blank. The woman that cared about her more than anyone in her life ever had. She loved the way that Arizona knew how she took her coffee, what her favorite lunch was, what kind of drink to order her after a long day, and somehow always knew exactly what to say to make the stress of a terrible day disappear.

Mark shifted onto his side, revealing his bare back to the Latina. She glanced over and smirked at the claw marks she had left to scar his otherwise flawless skin. She rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze back to the ceiling. She knew sleeping with Mark was a bad idea; she should have just called Arizona so they could finish off a bottle or two of wine together. She had decided to take the easy way out instead, though and she hated herself for it.

Guilt washed through her at the memory of Arizona sitting at the bar before she left. How often had Arizona found her in that same state and ushered her home and erased the pain? Never had the blonde ever asked for any help, and yet, the one time it was obvious she needed it, Callie had left her alone to her problems… and why? To go fuck Mark?

Thinking about the blonde only fueled her concern for her. When she couldn't take it anymore, she shifted out of the bed, careful not to disturb Mark and tiptoed out into the living room. She picked up her clothes on the way, slowly redressing herself. Finding her jeans, she grabbed her phone from the front right pocket where she always kept it. Her face contorted in confusion when she saw the light indicating a new message blinking. Unlocking the screen, a text from Arizona from nearly an hour and half earlier popped into view.

_I need you._

It was short and simple, nothing like their usual texts. She didn't know who this redhead was that was causing her best friend to be so upset, but she didn't like her. This wasn't her Arizona. She scrolled to the next text.

_Joe cut me off and told me to go home :(_

She checked the time stamp to see that it was only half an hour earlier. Silently thanking Joe for taking care of her friend when she wasn't there like she should have been, she scrolled to the next text.

_I don't want to go home. I know I don't usually do this, Callie... but I really think I need you. Please answer?_

Worry flooded her mind and her heart started racing as she glanced from Mark's bedroom back to the screen of her phone, silent tears building behind her eyes. How could she be so fucking selfish? Arizona needed her, and she hadn't been there. Mark's voice called for her from his bedroom, but she didn't care. Mark didn't matter, Arizona did. Arizona was everything. She found her contact ID and hit send just as she opened the door to Mark's apartment and saw Arizona across the hall staring helplessly at her own closed apartment door.

She had been standing outside of Callie's apartment, knocking softly for nearly ten minutes. Finally defeated, she had just decided to wander back to her own apartment, but she hadn't been able to convince her feet to start moving yet. A flash of raven hair caught her eye, and she turned to see the Latina she had been hoping to find all night. "Callio—," her voice caught as she took in the full appearance of her best friend. Her hair was wild and her eyes held a tinge of post-sex haze that was impossible to miss. Her stomach dropped as a wave of darkness fell on top of her like a ton of bricks. _No… this can't be happening._ "Oh, God," she muttered as tears fell down her cheeks. She turned quickly and took off running in the direction of the stairs.

Callie stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, her arm outstretched towards the fleeing blonde. "Arizona!" Her voice echoed into oblivion as the last streak of golden hair flew past the staircase door as it swung shut.

* * *

**AN**: Thank you so much for the overwhelmingly awesome response from the first chapter! I hate writing our ladies not together and happy, but a little bit of angst never hurt anyone, right?

Keep the reviews coming! They really encourage me and give me great ideas :)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Coffee

* * *

The red digits of the alarm clock sitting on Arizona's nightstand cast a faint glow throughout her bedroom. She sniffed and threw another tissue onto the ground beside her, adding to the growing pile just as the numbers switched to 6 a.m. sending a shrill beeping, startling her even though she had been waiting for it. She slammed her hand down on the top of the clock, and crawled out of her bed with a stretch. The alarm meant that yesterday was over; today was a new day and she was going to forget everything that happened the day before. She relaxed into a moan as she turned the knob to her shower, sending hot water across her scalp and down her back, plastering blonde hair against her skin. Today was a new day.

Callie couldn't sleep. She hadn't been able to find Arizona once her legs finally started listening to her and she ran after her. By the time she got to the street, the blonde was long gone. The screen to her phone remained blank, the light in the corner taunting her with darkness. She had tried to call her best friend several times already that night, but her phone was off and sent her straight to voicemail. Huffing in frustration as her alarm rang through her bedroom, she slammed her hand down and stormed into her bathroom to get ready. She hated going to work without sleeping; it made her brain slow and her body even slower, both very bad characteristics for a surgeon.

* * *

Callie stumbled into the hospital and immediately walked towards the coffee cart where she usually met Arizona on the mornings they were both working. Her heart sank when she scanned the open atrium without spotting her best friend. After ordering both of their usual coffees, she moved towards the elevator.

Mark hit the call button from behind her before she could reach out and press it herself.

"Morning," he drawled as he pressed himself against her back.

She flinched and took a small step forward, putting distance between the two of them. "Morning," she said shortly. She followed the numbers at the top of the elevator with her eyes as they lit up in descending order, moving closer towards the ground floor.

"One of those for me?" He asked.

She held the coffee he reached for further away from him and glared into his playful expression. "No, this isn't for you," she spat.

"Whoa… okay. Got it." He raised his hands in surrender and took a step back. "You okay? What happened?"

Callie's lips pursed and she glared straight ahead. "Nothing."

The elevator door chimed, signaling its arrival. They both stepped in and pressed the lights to their respective destinations. Mark's eyebrows rose when Callie pressed the floor to peds instead of ortho.

"Oh… I see. You get coffee for blondie, but not the man who rocked your world last night," Mark teased.

Callie's head jerked to the side and she glared into Mark's eyes. "Mark, don't," she warned.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Mark stepped out and turned to look over his shoulder. "It's okay, Cal. I had fun last night, even if you did wish it had been Arizona, not me." He winked at her as the doors started to close.

She opened her mouth to argue but the doors closed before any words could come out. So she stood, silently stewing as the elevator continued its ascent to peds.

* * *

Arizona rolled towards the nurse's desk, picking up the pile of case files for that day. She yawned, not caring how ungraceful it was; she was exhausted. The worst part was that her day had only just started, and she already could barely hold her head up since she had skipped her usual morning coffee in an attempt to avoid Callie. She turned to roll towards her first patient's room, but stopped short as soon as she saw the elevator doors open and her best friend standing in the doorway. The raven haired surgeon stepped onto her floor, immediately locking eyes with her.

She saw that she was holding two cups of coffee and her heart broke. _She brought me coffee? Why does she have to be so perfect literally all of the time?_ She turned and rolled into the first room she could find. A very confused little boy opened his eyes, rubbing them gently as his favorite doctor shut the door behind her and looked through the blinds in his room.

"Dr. Robbins?"

The blonde turned with a bright smile. "Good morning, Jake! I uhm, I just came to see how you were feeling," she said unconvincingly.

He looked at her, confused when a soft knock came at the door.

"Arizona? I brought you coffee…" Callie said, her smooth voice muffled by the door between them.

Arizona leaned against the door with her eyes shut tight.

A few seconds passed before Callie gave up and walked over to the nurse's station. She leaned against it, a brilliant smile on her lips. She tapped the surface of the counter gently to get the nurse's attention.

"Can I help you, Dr. Torres?" The brunette asked.

"Good morning, Rebecca." She smiled when the nurse's eyes widened briefly in surprise that Callie knew her name. "I was just wondering if you could give this coffee to Dr. Robbins for me? I can't seem to be able to find her."

The nurse hesitated as she looked around the desk at all of the paperwork in front of her. "I'm really busy right now, Dr. Torres," she said weakly.

"Oh, come on, Rebecca, you can do this for me," Callie's eyebrow rose and she smirked.

The nurse blushed and looked down at her desk again.

"Torres!"

Callie jumped at the sound of the all too well known booming voice. "Bailey!" Callie offered weakly as she turned to face her with a sheepish smile.

"What are you doing up here? You leave that poor girl alone and answer your damn pages! We've got a team of bikers coming in from a 5 car pileup on the highway." Callie's mouth dropped open. Bailey turned to leave, then paused and looked over her shoulder. "Well, come on! Go get your scrubs, they're eight minutes out! Move, Torres!"

Callie rolled her eyes as she started a jog to the stairs; today was going to be a long day.

Arizona was making her final notes from her morning rounds when one of the new interns stepped up to her and cleared her throat.

"Uhm, Dr. Robbins?" The intern squeaked, a nervous blush on her cheeks.

She turned her body to face the intern. "Yes? I'm sorry, I don't know your name. I don't think we've met yet."

"It's okay. I'm Brooks, Heather Brooks. I'm on Dr. Torres's service today and she asked me to come give this to you." The intern held up a cup of coffee.

The blonde smirked, but didn't move to take it from her. "That was very kind of you, Brooks, but you can tell Dr. Torres that I don't need any coffee." She turned to return back to her files, but paused when she realized the intern wasn't moving. "Is there something else I can help you with?"

"Uhm, it's just that Dr. Torres said I couldn't come back until you took it."

Arizona rolled her eyes. Of course Callie would do something like that. "Well, you can tell Dr. Torres that if I wanted a coffee, I'd get it myself. Thank you, Brooks." She turned and walked away from the helpless looking intern.

* * *

As Arizona hurried into her first surgery over an hour later, she noticed the intern from earlier standing outside of the scrub room. She paused when she saw that she was holding a cup of coffee again. "Brooks?"

The intern smiled. "Dr. Robbins! Dr. Torres wants me to wish you good luck on your surgery." She held out the fresh cup of coffee, offering it to her.

Arizona smiled briefly in return. "Thank you, Brooks. I'm sorry she has you doing this for her. Tell her I still don't need any coffee and to stop making you run all over the hospital."

The intern hesitated. "It's really no problem, Dr. Robbins. I'm happy to do it." She held out the coffee again, hoping that the woman would just take it already.

Arizona walked past her and into the scrub room. "Tell Dr. Torres to stop trying to give me coffee," she called over her shoulder as the door swung closed.

The surgery went perfectly; another tiny human was on their way to recovery. She took a deep breath and pulled her scrub cap off, stuffing it in her pocket. Sinking into the chair of her office, she closed her eyes and tried to shut off her still active mind. She almost instinctually pulled her phone out to ask Callie if she wanted to get lunch with her, but quickly set it aside when she remembered she couldn't.

It buzzed in her hand and the screen lit up with a message from Callie.

_Lunch?_

Arizona rolled her eyes and set the phone back down on her desk as it buzzed again.

_Don't roll your eyes at me. Come on, I heard there's pizza today._

Arizona's eyes widened in surprise and she looked around to see Callie smiling at her from outside her office window. She huffed in frustration and opened the door to her office.

"Come on, Arizona, it's just lunch," she said as she stepped into her office.

Arizona closed the door behind her and set her hands on her hips. "Callie, you need to stop."

The harshness of her shortened name stung Callie through to her heart. "What? Arizona, it's just lunch… we have lunch together every day," she said nonchalantly.

The blonde ran her fine fingers through her hair and started pacing. "I know we do, and I know I missed coffee this morning, and that reminds me… really, Calliope? You can't just send your interns on errands all day. They're here to learn, not to be your waiter." The blonde was on fire, pain leaking through her voice. "But I'm sorry, I just can't… I can't be around you today. Why don't you just go ask Mark?"

Her heart broke as the puzzle pieces fell into place in her mind. She had been trying to convince herself that Arizona's distance had been for some other reason, but here it was… How could she make such a huge mistake? "Arizona," she croaked, tears burning the back of her throat. She reached out to touch Arizona's arm, but the blonde yanked it away before they could make contact.

"Just leave," she spat, unable to look in the direction of her best friend, "please." Tears were threatening to fall, but she refused to let Callie see them.

Callie hung her head and reached for the door. "Text me if you need me," she breathed, barely at an audible level before stepping into the brightly lit hallway.

Arizona shut the blinds to her office and sank into her chair, gentle sobs crashing over her.

* * *

It took nearly her entire lunch break to pull herself together as well as the whole box of tissues in her office. But, she had gathered herself and was back to being the perky, happy, and magical doctor her tiny humans needed. She finished her last surgery in record time, but was stopped by curious parents and their endless questions from leaving on time. It was nearly an hour after her shift ended by the time she stepped through the front doors of Seattle Grace, headed for her car to leave one of the longest and most exhausting days of her life behind her.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Callie sitting at one of the benches in front of the hospital. She gathered her strength and looked straight ahead as she stormed purposefully past the Latina.

"Arizona, wait!" Callie called as she shot up and grabbed her arm.

Arizona tried to pry her arm from her best friend's grasp, but while she was faster than Callie, she would never rival her strength. "Callie, let me go," she begged.

"Not until you listen to me," she answered confidently. "Please, Arizona, all I'm asking is for you to listen."

Her blue eyes searched the ground, but she stopped resisting Callie's hold.

"I messed up. I made a huge mistake last night when I slept with Mark." Arizona cringed at the words and she fought back tears that she wasn't sure how she still had. "I shouldn't have done it, I'm still not sure why I did, but Arizona," Callie lifted Arizona's chin so their eyes met. "You have to believe me that I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me," Arizona mumbled as a tear slipped down her cheek.

A lopsided grin pulled at Callie's lips. "I know you don't want me to think that I did, but I know you better than that." Callie turned so that their bodies were facing each other. "Arizona, I am so, so sorry. I hurt you and I hate that I did. But, please, talk to me," Callie paused, filling her lungs with air. "What's going on?"

Arizona's heart shot into her throat. It was racing, pumping blood through her veins faster than she was sure was healthy. She swallowed, trying to clear her throat to answer, but no words were forming in her brain… there were so many things she wanted to say, but just didn't know how.

"Please, Arizona. I'm worried about you and you've been doing nothing but avoiding me all day. You're hurting and I can't… I _won't_ just stand back and watch you fall apart." She grabbed Arizona's hands, needing suddenly some amount of physical connection between them. "Please talk to me, Arizona. I need my best friend back… I need _you_ back."

Silent tears ran down Arizona's cheeks, falling to the ground. She looked into the eyes of the woman she loved in more ways than she could have ever imagined and grimaced. The words were pressed against the back of her lips, begging to be let go. Her lungs filled with air, waiting for the screams that were building in the back of her throat to finally erupt out. She started shaking as she thought of actually telling Callie everything, all of the secrets, especially her true feelings. She couldn't take the pain of someone knowing again, not after the hell her life had become the last time. She had locked away those memories, moved on, but Kim's appearance had reminded her again of just how much it hurt; she wouldn't make it through that again, and she couldn't lose Callie, she meant too much. "I… I can't," she stuttered.

She dropped her hold on Callie's hands and spun around, begging her feet to carry her away from everything, from all the feelings, the lying, the secrets; she needed to escape.

Callie lunged forward, grabbing onto Arizona's arm and pulling her back into a strong embrace. Arizona fought her as sobs shook through her body, but Callie held on. She wasn't going to let her run away again; she didn't know exactly what was going on, but there was no way she was going to let someone she loved so much just vanish from her life. Slowly, Arizona sank into Callie's strong arms until her legs gave out.

They crumbled to the ground together, Callie not wanting to let go of the blonde for even a second. "You're okay, you don't have to say anything, just breath." She pulled Arizona to her chest and smoothed her hair, whispering to her softly.

"I…. I want to tell you… But… But I can't… I can't tell you." Arizona stuttered in between her stifled cries.

"Shh… it's okay, you're okay, I'm here. You can tell me anything, but I won't make you." Callie held Arizona impossibly closer until the tears stopped and she had stopped shaking. The sound of footsteps approaching startled Arizona away from Callie's embrace. Callie immediately felt the loss of having Arizona in her arms and reached out to hold her hands. Arizona stared at their entwined fingers and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"How about we go enjoy a bottle of wine at my place?" Callie suggested.

The idea of having to go home and be alone suddenly sent Arizona's mind into panic, but the thought of having to answer any questions about why she had been acting so strange threatened to send her back into a sniveling mess all over again. She didn't know what to do. Callie's strong, yet unbelievably soft hand met her chin, lifting her head so their eyes met.

"I know you love wine. It'll just be you and me," she offered a supportive smile, "and I promise you don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."

Arizona's heart fluttered and a smile pulled at her lips as she nodded in agreement. She didn't know how, but somehow Callie always made things better. Running from her and forcing her out of her life for even just one day had been the most exhausting and terrible decision of her life. A huge feeling of relief washed over her, coming out as a deep sigh.

Callie stood up, lifting Arizona with her. She left her hand entwined in Arizona's, loving the still new, yet somehow familiar feeling of their physical connection. Neither woman said anything, but they didn't want to let go, so they walked hand in hand towards Callie's apartment across the street.

* * *

**AN**: Wow, you guys are incredible. Really… all of you! There are no words. Thank you so much for your reviews, and welcome to all the new followers!

Shout out to all the followers who I recognize from Awakened. I haven't left my baby, I have another chapter coming this weekend, I promise!

Also – shout out to Massi17, a fan from *Italy*! I can't believe I have readers around the world! So cool! :D

Another shout out to Tifus – your review made me laugh so hard. So simple, yet so profound… I loved it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – A Bottle of Wine

* * *

Arizona sipped at her wine, letting it roll in her mouth, taking time to taste every intricate flavor before swallowing. "Mm, this is a great bottle, Calliope. We'll have to remember the label on this one." She took another sip and set her glass down.

"Definitely." Callie took a sip from her own glass and set it down on the coffee table. "So, tell me about your surgery this afternoon. I heard it went really well," Callie suggested. They each took a seat in their usual places, Arizona on the couch and Callie in the large chair opposite her.

The blonde sank into the familiarity of their conversation, relaying every detail of the surgery she had performed that afternoon. It wasn't a particularly exciting surgery, but you'd never know that the way that Callie was hanging on to every word she spoke. She quickly forgot why it was she had even been so worried about coming over in the first place. After finishing off her glass and setting it down on the table, she breathed a sigh of contentment and leaned back into the couch, letting the rolls of laughter from Callie's last comment filter off into a comfortable silence.

Callie leaned forward to fill Arizona's glass, and she couldn't help but notice how Arizona's blue eyes drifted towards her chest and darkened momentarily before she shifted her gaze away and blushed slightly. She bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything and sat back down with a renewed confidence. "It is good wine, isn't it?"

Arizona nodded as she took a large gulp from her glass. She spun the glass nervously through her fingers and kept her eyes trained on the swirling liquid.

Callie's heart ached for her best friend. She was just about 99% sure what was going on now, but she didn't want to push her little bird too far. "You know, Arizona, you're the best friend I've ever had," she started.

Arizona's eyes shifted up to meet Callie's questioningly. "You too, Calliope. You mean a lot to me."

"And you mean a lot to me." She shifted so she was leaning forward slightly. "I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I promise I'm not going to judge you or freak out or leave you. I'm here through it all," she looked into Arizona's eyes intensely. "You know that, right?"

A chuckle erupted from Arizona's lips as she huffed and spun the glass nervously in her fingers again.

"I mean that, Arizona. There's absolutely _nothing_ you could say that would make me think differently of you." She wasn't sure if she was pushing too far, but she could see that something was eating her Arizona away and she wanted to help; she needed to help. And if she was right, then this could be the breaking point towards admitting her own feelings, too.

"I know you think you mean that, but I've heard that before." A rogue tear fell down her cheek. She reached up to wipe it away quickly and immediately grasped her wine glass again.

Callie looked around her living room and took a deep breath before setting her wine glass down and walking over so she was kneeling in front of Arizona. She was definitely crossing a line. _Please don't run away again, little bird._ She took the wine glass from Arizona and set it down next to her own on the table then took Arizona's hands in her own. She gripped them tightly, trying to stop them from shaking. "I mean it, Arizona. You're amazing. You're talented, loving, kind, strong, beautiful, and honest to God the most incredible person I have ever met." Arizona's gaze shifted to stare into her eyes, searching for a sign that she apparently found because her shoulders relaxed and her hands stopped shaking. "And nothing you say will change my mind about that."

Arizona took a deep breath. When she looked into Callie's eyes she was surprised to find a glint of understanding, of knowing. It was as if she already knew everything within her that was begging to come out, and something inside her told her everything would be alright, that she could trust Callie. She closed her eyes, filled her lungs with air, and let the words flow from her mouth. "I'm gay." Her heart stopped beating. She immediately wished she had to the power to take words back, spin back the clock, reverse the flow of time, or just to vanish completely. She couldn't lose Callie.

Seconds, or maybe years, she couldn't tell, passed before Callie's voice registered in her brain. "Arizona… Arizona, honey, look at me." _Honey?_ She forced her eyes open, terrified she would find the looks of disdain or disgust that haunted her every day. Instead, though, she found the same kind, loving, caring, incredible woman she had fallen in love with.

A hesitant smile flitted across Callie's lips as their eyes made contact. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered. She immediately pulled Arizona into the warmest hug the blonde had ever felt. Her muscles tensed in surprise before quickly faltering as she melted into Callie's arms where she finally broke down completely and cried; she cried for every person she had trusted and had turned their back on her, every woman who used her only to decide she wasn't enough because she wasn't a man, and in relief that the one woman who actually did matter was still here, holding her in her arms.

Callie moved to sit on the couch beside Arizona, still holding her in a strong embrace until the tears stopped and Arizona sat back, wiping her face with the sleeve of her sweater. Callie reached for the tissue box and offered it to her.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me, I don't really ever cry like this," Arizona paused to blow her nose. "But you know that, I mean you've known me for what, three years now? You know I don't cry. Ever. I just, I don't know," she paused to take a breath and looked at Callie who had an amused glint in her eye. She smiled in response and set the box of tissues on her lap. "That felt really good."

Callie's smile grew as she leaned forward to hug her best friend again. She leaned back with a huge smile on her face, staring goofily at Arizona.

The blonde looked over both her shoulders then back to Callie with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm just really happy you told me." Callie dropped her hands into her lap and chuckled briefly to herself. She knew how much it meant for Arizona to finally come out to her, and she didn't know how to really truly tell her how much it meant to her that she trusted her that much.

"I am too," Arizona breathed.

Callie smiled and stood up to get a plate of their favorite cheese and crackers she always kept on hand.

"Don't get mad, but you're acting kind of like you already knew," Arizona stammered.

"Well, Mark said you were, but I wasn't really sure," Callie stated simply. "We've been talking about it the last few days, and I don't know, you're still you. You're more you now, really, if you think about it." Callie cocked her head and shrugged. "But you know Mark. Once he gets started with something, he doesn't really let it go."

"Let me guess… it all started with that scene at the bar?" Arizona guessed.

Callie nodded briefly. "Well, yeah, and then later that night, we were talking, and I dunno, I said some things and so now he has this theory… It's stupid, though." Arizona's heart sputtered over itself when she saw Callie's cheeks darken momentarily in embarrassment. She wanted to ask why, but before she could, Callie was continuing. "So tell me about the little ginger devil."

Arizona choked on the breath she was taking in and keeled over in laughter. "The what?"

Callie chuckled to herself and leaned over to grab her wine, proud of herself for getting her best friend to laugh again. "The raging ginger devil who attacked your lips last night. What's her deal?" She had a hard time masking the jealousy and anger rippling through her body.

"Kim, you mean," Arizona corrected. "Well, that's kind of a long story."

Callie leaned forward to grab Arizona's wine glass and handed it to her. "We've got plenty of wine and I'm working the night shift tomorrow so I don't have to be in until 2. Let it out, babe."

The use of yet another flirty nickname was not lost on the blonde, and she wondered again to herself if just maybe… She cut herself off and forced herself to put the thoughts of Callie aside as she pieced together the story of who Kim was, trying to make sure the wine hadn't fogged her memory as much as to miss any important details.

Callie dropped back to the couch and set the plate of snacks on the table. They sat in silence as they ate a cracker, Callie waiting, and Arizona thinking. She ran through the story over and over in her mind. "I just can't figure out where to start," she laughed.

"Well, for starters, is she your girlfriend?" Callie asked. It was the only question she really wanted an answer to.

"No, no no, absolutely not," Arizona choked. "She was, but that was a long time ago and a huge mistake."

Callie nodded thoughtfully. "How long ago?"

Arizona sipped her wine and narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the dates and memories flashing through her mind. "Well, we met during my first year at med school. She worked at the coffee shop where I practically lived until I realized brewing my own coffee would save me literally hundreds of dollars." Callie laughed, but waved at her to continue. "Shut up, it's true." She cleared her throat and began to recall the relationship. "I had just gotten to the point where I was comfortable with myself. I lost a lot of friends during my undergrad work when I came out to them. It sucked, but my family was there with me through it all, so when I got into John's Hopkins, I was really confident that I would make that my place where I was fully me, you know?"

Callie nodded, understanding more than Arizona knew. "So anyways, I asked her out. She was cute, she was spunky, and had flirted with me pretty openly for a few weeks. We started dating and it went really well… for almost three years, it went really well. We moved in together and were planning forever together, until one day, I walk in and there she is, sleeping with another woman in our bed." Her voice cracked and she looked away from Callie's eyes for the first time since she had started talking. "So I moved out and found my own place. She tried to talk to me, but cheating… there's just nothing that can be said for that. It hurt… a lot." She paused to take a deep breath, "I hadn't seen her since that night, and then out of nowhere she turns up here… in Seattle!" She threw her hands in the air, adding a physical exclamation point to her words. "I worked for years to forget about her, and then she came waltzing back into my life… and she kissed me completely out of nowhere!"

Callie's eyes had been growing wide through the entire story and now her heart was pounding. She ground her teeth together and tried to calm her breathing.

Arizona noticed the tense posture her best friend had taken and lowered her hands cautiously. "Calliope? Everything okay?"

Callie's body started shaking. "That woman… She cheated on you?" She spat.

Arizona nodded. "Yeah, but it was a long time ago," she said, her voice dropping.

"It doesn't matter. If that bitch shows her face again… tries to even come near you, she will regret it."

"Calliope, really, it's okay," Arizona said sweetly, taking her hands in her own.

"No, Arizona! It's not! You deserve better than that… You deserve the best! You're amazing and you're beautiful, I mean drop dead _stunning_, and you're loyal, you're strong, you're everything a woman should be and more. Can't you see that?" She took a minute to stare into Arizona's eyes, trying to find a way to show her what words couldn't express. "That bitch had no right to even come anywhere near you." She paused, struggling to make her point. "I just… I can't stand the thought of you hurting, Arizona. It tears me apart."

Tears built behind Arizona's eyes and threatened to spill out as her lips formed into a cautious smile.

Callie's eyes shot back and forth between Arizona's lips and her eyes, not sure which were more beautiful in that moment. "I am so sorry I hurt you by sleeping with Mark last night. I'll never forgive myself for that." Arizona opened her mouth to argue, but Callie continued talking before she could. "The truth is, Arizona, I've been running from something for a long time, and last night, I don't know, seeing you kiss another woman… It all just crashed into me. I was trying to just shove it all away, but I know now that I can't," Callie paused, filling her lungs with air. "I can't run away from you anymore."

Arizona's heart fell to her stomach, plummeting into a pit of swirling mayhem. She swallowed, trying to clear her throat to answer, but no words were forming in her brain. It was still running Callie's words through her mind repeatedly, trying to make sure that they were real.

Callie looked into Arizona's beautifully blue eyes; she could swim all day in those eyes and never drown. "Arizona, I don't _want_ to run from you anymore. I just want **you**." She tried to stop her stomach from spinning. She had had an entirely different speech planned before she started talking. These were definitely not the words she had expected to say, but she knew that they were what she meant to say.

Arizona sat dumbfounded in front of the woman of her dreams who had just admitted feelings for her. The world around her was spinning and slowly tearing apart. "You do?" The weak voice that fell from her lips sounded distant and foreign, as if someone else had taken over her body and replaced it with someone who wasn't as strong or confident as she knew she was.

Callie nodded slowly and looked down at their joined hands, then back into Arizona's beautiful blue eyes. "Yeah, I do. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to figure it out. I never in a million years thought you would feel the same way about me, but I think maybe you do."

Arizona reached up and placed her hands on either side of Callie's face, searching her chocolate brown eyes. A weak smile flitted across her mouth. "Calliope, you have just made me the happiest woman in the world." Relief washed across Callie's face and she lifted her hands to gently pull Arizona's down between them.

They sat staring into each other's eyes and holding each other's hands trying to remember how to breathe. Both women stared at each other wearing matching goofy grins before Arizona let out a small chuckle. "God, is this really happening?"

Callie smiled even wider and bit the bottom of her lip. Arizona's eyes flashed down to those perfect, full lips she had imagined kissing more times than she liked to admit and breathed a quiet moan without realizing she had.

Callie's stomach spun at the gentle sound and before she had a moment to think it through, she leaned forward, placing her lips on Arizona's. It was quick, just a brush of contact. But in the few moments that they were connected, Arizona's heart had exploded. She was sure of it. There was no way that there was an actual organ beating in her chest cavity anymore; it had to be nothing more than a pile of gelatinous goo.

Their eyes flickered open and they pressed their foreheads together. They both let out small laughs as they leaned into each other in a strong embrace. Arizona nuzzled into Callie's shoulder, breathing in an intoxicating mixture of shampoo and perfume that was uniquely her Calliope. She knew in that instant, after just that small of a kiss that this woman was going to be the best thing to ever happen to her.

* * *

**AN**: I had such a hard time writing this chapter… but I really love how it came out. No pun intended. What did you think?

There is SO much more back story to Arizona than this, but it's a start. And now they can both be a bit more open and honest… no more hiding.

I'm kind of excited for a face off now between Kim and Callie… thoughts?

Also, I love that I have so many international readers! France? Canada? That's just crazy! Every single one of you though, no matter where you're from are absolutely amazing. I've never had such an incredible response to one of my stories before; it blows me away every time I get another review that people are actually reading my brain vomit. I love it :) So thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Crossing The Line

It didn't take very long for Callie to decide her new favorite feeling was everything that happened when she kissed Arizona. The second their lips parted, she wanted that feeling again. The feeling that she was flying through some crazy universe where fireworks were going off constantly and yet the sky was a bright blue and the air was constantly crisp with a wonderful spring breeze blowing through her hair. It was a place she instantly knew she wanted to live in for the rest of her days. Because that universe brought with it a rush of sparks into her veins that coursed through her body and warmed her more than any other feeling in the entire world had ever done. But as soon as she sat back and stared into Arizona's eyes, a new wave of nerves raced through her causing her to lose her ability to breathe properly.

Arizona sat back, her stomach flipping on itself… she couldn't believe that the woman of her dreams had actually just kissed her. There had never been any indication that Callie was gay. She had always been adventurous, Arizona knew that. But something inside her told her this wasn't just another adventure for Callie. Something about her speech earlier really resonated with her, as if she had been letting every emotion tied up in her heart flow out of her. They were the most beautiful words she had ever heard, and they were about _her_. She took a deep breath and kept smiling; she couldn't get her cheeks to relax.

"Those dimples are going to be the death of me, you know that?" Callie said with a chuckle.

Arizona blushed, "I've been warned of that my entire life."

Callie laughed, not sure what else she was allowed to do. She wanted to kiss her again; she wanted to cross those lines that she had drawn for herself for so long, but they were engrained in her every thought. She had spent so long calculating each movement as to not cross some sort of invisible boundary that she couldn't seem to be able to break herself from it. "God, I don't know why I'm so nervous all of the sudden," she blurted.

"I KNOW!" Arizona exclaimed as she let out a huge breath of air. "I mean, I've known you for so long, and it feels so good to finally be out and I guess to just have everything out on the table, but I can't believe this is actually happening… and I don't know how to even process this, I mean you have been my best friend for years," she rambled, "but, _only_ my best friend. Not that I've not wanted you to not be my best friend," her eyebrows creased trying to make sure she had the right series of negatives.

Everything Arizona had always done was adorable to Callie, but especially these rants. She loved how the blonde would just flit through her words, letting every single thought rolling through her brain just spew out of her mouth. The flutter in her heart at seeing how absolutely adorable Arizona was sent her mind into overdrive, and she decided to cross every line, break every rule, because this woman was worth it. She rolled her eyes playfully and leaned forward, letting their lips press together in their second of what she was sure was going to be a very, very long series of kisses, effectively cutting off Arizona's ramblings.

Arizona halted, still surprised at how overwhelmed she felt with every new touch from Callie. She didn't take long to melt into the kiss and deepen it, wanting to feel more of her and see where the kiss would take them.

Callie felt Arizona's lips adjust slightly and press into her own more forcefully. She reached up to trace her thumb along Arizona's jaw line, settling at the base of her ear after tucking a stray strand of hair aside. She separated only for an instant so they could catch their breath and turned her head, placing a new kiss on Arizona's lips.

They moved in sync so well it amazed them both. A curious passion overtook both women as they tangled their fingers in each other's hair. Arizona sat up briefly, trying to find a way to be closer to Callie.

Strong hands wrapped around Arizona's thighs, pulling her towards her. Arizona straddled Callie's hips and lowered herself so their bodies were barely touching. She breathed in sharply before a small moan escaped as Callie arched her back, pressing their torsos together. She kissed Callie again briefly on her lips then placed gentle kisses down her neck.

Callie's eyes fluttered open as she traced her fingers down Arizona's back, playing with the hem of her sweater before hooking her fingers in Arizona's belt loops to pull her closer.

Arizona giggled as she kissed along Callie's neck, settling at her pulse point. She let herself forget about the rules she had made for herself, instead she freed her body to do what it had always wanted; to just explore every inch of tan skin of her Calliope. Her teeth grazed her pulse point as she gently bit down and suckled, making Callie squirm underneath her. She smirked as she released her neck and kissed the spot gently before meeting Callie's eyes again.

The fire growing in the pit of her stomach exploded the second those dark blue eyes flickered to meet her own. A moan rippled through her body as she leaned forward, crashing her lips against Arizona's. She felt Arizona's mouth open slightly and her lower lip tickled with the trace of Arizona's tongue. She smiled to herself as she parted her lips, letting their tongues graze against each other in a dance that only fueled their passion for each other even more.

Arizona's cautious fingers traced Callie's sides, landing on those hips. The hips that had made her jealous every time they swayed in time with the clunky movements of whatever man she was dancing with; the hips that had teased her every day as the Latina walked away from her; the hips that were finally hers to explore and dance with. She had dreamed of the way their hips would move together, and her very core ached to make it a reality.

They separated to catch their breath, their lips hovering only centimeters apart. Their chests pressed into each other with every deep inhale. Callie wrapped her arms securely around Arizona's waist and brushed their lips together again in a soft whisper of a kiss. She pressed her forehead to Arizona's and closed her eyes.

"If I had known coming out to you would mean I got to kiss you like that," she whispered as she brushed her lips across Callie's, nipping at her deliciously full lower lip, "I would've said something a lot sooner."

Callie smirked and kissed Arizona again softly before nestling into her shoulder, placing gentle kisses along her neck and shoulder. "Why didn't you?"

"Hm?" It was difficult to think clearly with Callie even in the same room; it was nearly impossible when her warm full lips were ghosting across her neck.

"Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" Callie stilled her kisses, instead laying her head on Arizona's shoulder waiting for an answer.

Arizona took a deep breath, battling between wrapping her arms around Callie so she couldn't disappear or sitting back, distancing herself so that she could run away if she needed to. She felt Callie adjust so that she was nestled even closer and succumbed to the temptation to melt into the Latina once more. "I couldn't lose you," she answered simply.

"Who said you were going to lose me?" Callie teased.

"Well, who said I wouldn't? My whole life, I've lost friends by coming out. My parents and Tim are pretty much the only ones who haven't abandoned me once they knew." Arizona felt Callie's arms tighten around her and her heart fluttered again at the feeling of security surrounding her. "I was scared to lose you too," she whispered, "I still am."

Callie leaned back so she could look into Arizona's eyes. "You will never lose me, Arizona." She watched her eyes intently until she received a brief nod from the blonde. "I can't promise you where this is going or really even tell you what it is that we're doing, but I can promise you one thing," she brought her hands up to cup either side of her face, "I will _always_ care about you, and that means I will always be here for you, no matter what."

A tear welled in the corner of her eye and fell down her cheek before she had the chance to wipe it away. She attempted a lopsided smile that fell weakly from her lips as she nodded hopelessly.

"Okay?" Callie asked as her heart broke watching Arizona crumble happily in her arms.

Arizona nodded again and leaned forward to hug Callie tightly. "Thank you, Calliope."

Callie smiled and tightened her grip on Arizona then pulled away and stood up. "Come on, I'm tired, and I'm sure you're exhausted too." She reached out to pull Arizona up off the couch.

The blonde hesitated and looked towards the bedroom, nerves shooting through her all over again.

Callie looked over her shoulder towards her bedroom door and huffed. "I promise I'll behave myself. I just really want to go to bed, and I don't want you to leave yet." _Or at all_, she added to herself.

Arizona narrowed her eyes, not sure if she really trusted Callie, or herself for that matter, to truly behave the entire night. After a make out session that intense, she wasn't sure she would be able to keep from finding out what else Callie could offer. She looked towards the door, trying to convince herself that it was really a better idea for her to go home. But that meant that she would spend yet another night alone, when she could spend it in the arms of her best friend that was quickly becoming so much more. She looked up to Callie and raised an eyebrow. "Do you really promise?"

Callie cocked her hip and breathed an exasperated sigh with her hand still outstretched inviting Arizona to take it. "I really don't want to, but I think it would be too soon. And honestly, I'm still processing a lot, and I really am exhausted. I didn't sleep at all last night."

Could it really be that it was just last night she watched Callie slip out of Mark's apartment and then cried herself straight through into the next morning? It felt like entire decades had passed since that night. Suddenly, exhaustion fell on top of her like a freight train, so she gave in. She reminded herself again that it was okay for her to allow herself some happiness. She reached out, taking Callie's soft hand and let her lead them towards her bedroom.

"Are you okay with wearing a pair of my sweats and a t-shirt?" Callie asked as she dug through her drawer, coming out with an old set of college sweatpants that were ripped at the knee and a softball t-shirt that looked like it might have even been from high school.

Arizona nodded as she accepted the pajamas. "They're perfect." She walked to the bathroom and changed, taking an extra minute to enjoy the smell of Callie on the worn clothes. They hung loosely from her toned limbs, but she didn't mind. In fact, the feeling of having something so uniquely Calliope surrounding her was one of the most comforting feelings she had ever felt. She quickly decided she never wanted to wear her own clothes to bed ever again.

She washed her face and wandered back into the bedroom where Callie was laying in a pair of grey shorts and a generic blue t-shirt, her eyes already drifting closed. She opened one eye when she heard the soft patter of Arizona's feet against the hardwood of her room and smiled when she saw how absolutely adorable the blonde looked in her favorite set of comfy pajamas. She pulled the sheet down in front of her and lifted her arm up, emptying a space in front of her. "Come on, I'm tired," she mumbled.

Arizona smiled and crossed the rest of the distance to the bed, sliding in with her back to Callie. Her strong arm wrapped around Arizona's stomach and pulled her back so their bodies were flush against each other. Arizona moved even closer and lifted her arm on top of Callie's so their fingers were entangled across her stomach and she shut her eyes, finally letting sleep wash over her. "Good night, Calliope," she whispered.

"Good night, Arizona," Callie sighed, already mostly asleep, her dreams floating in and for the first time trying to rival the beauty of her reality.

* * *

**AN**: Writer's block sucks. A lot. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

My birthday is on Thursday, and I'm turning 21, so I won't be doing much writing this weekend. I'll try to get another chapter up before then, though. :]

Thank you all again _**so**_ much for reviewing and favoriting this story. Also, welcome to all the new followers! I hope all of you from all your crazy awesome countries around the world (I'm at 8 countries just from the reviews alone! O_O) enjoyed this chapter!

Nerves are easy to push aside when you're already exhausted and kind of just don't want to care anymore… but what about when they're at work? Will Arizona finally gather the courage to come out to her colleagues? What about Callie? What other questions do you guys have?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Stir Crazy

* * *

Sunlight pierced into Callie's bedroom, sending shadows creeping along the hardwood floor as the sun rose through the crisp Seattle sky. Arizona blinked, trying to clear her still bleary eyes that were swollen and red from a long day and night of tears. Her eyebrows creased as she took in her surroundings, confusion leaking through her mind when it wasn't her own pastel purple wall in front of her, but instead a slate-gray that made her question if she had been abducted by Batman. Her mind wandered, imagining a staunch servant named Alfred bringing her a morning coffee when a soft grunt sounded behind her and the arm thrown across her waist tightened, drawing her closer against the solid body at her back. She smiled as she looked down to Callie's hand, still entwined in her own. She had really truly missed the feeling of waking up in someone's arms, and the way Callie clung to her, even while she was asleep made her heart spin. Her eyes flickered to the alarm clock on Callie's nightstand and she groaned. It was already 6:15… rounds started in 45 minutes and she was still in bed. Thankfully, it only took all of five minutes to get to the hospital from Callie's apartment, but she still needed to get out of bed, and she **really** didn't want to.

She closed her eyes momentarily to soak in the feeling of Callie's arms around her, the peace of the bedroom settling over her. This was a moment she never wanted to forget: the first and maybe only, for all she knew, morning she would wake up wrapped in Callie. She kissed the top of Callie's hand and rolled out of bed, headed for the shower.

She hated getting dressed in yesterday's clothes, but it was her only option. She had a set of clothes in her office at the hospital for emergencies that she could change in to before rounds. She may have never been a boy scout like Tim, but she was always prepared.

She walked over to the bed, hoping to find Callie to say good bye, but she stopped short when she saw that the sheets were pulled up and the bed was empty. She stared in confusion until she heard the smoky voice of her best friend ringing through the apartment from her kitchen. She turned the corner out of her bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, sighing as she caught the beautiful sight of Callie dancing in the kitchen. Her eyes traced down Callie's back and landed on her hips that were swaying to the beat of the song she was belting out in Spanish. The smell of bacon, eggs, and fresh coffee drifted through the kitchen completing the scene that was definitely… _definitely_ something she could get used to.

Arizona smiled as she sauntered up behind Callie and laid her hands on her hips, gently pressing herself against her back, swaying her hips in tandem with Callie's. Callie smiled at the contact and kept swaying her hips with Arizona's slowing to a stop then stopped singing so she could turn her head to face Arizona.

"Morning," Callie whispered as she leaned forward slightly, smiling when her lips were met halfway by Arizona's.

"Morning," she answered as she pulled away and leaned against the counter. "You made breakfast?"

Callie nodded as toast popped up from the toaster. She handed a mug of coffee to Arizona, "lots of sugar and just a touch of milk," she winked and set it down.

Arizona's face erupted into a brilliant smile as she immediately took a sip and moaned. Callie looked back at her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "God, Callie, you make the most amazing coffee. Thank you."

Callie laughed and set down both of their plates. "No problem." She moved around the counter to sit down next to Arizona, scooting closer than she normally would. She couldn't explain it; she just couldn't stop herself from thinking about having the blonde back in her arms. She had imagined it so many times, but now that she actually knew what it felt like, she was hooked. All that she wanted was to feel every part of her, memorize her every curve, and kiss her lips until she couldn't breathe.

Arizona peeked out from under her bangs and chuckled. "Stop!" she said through her bursts of nervous laughter.

"What?" Callie asked, bewildered.

"You're staring," she said with a giggle.

"I can't help it…. You're beautiful." Callie reached up to brush Arizona's hair out of her face and smiled.

Arizona blushed and looked to the floor, not used to such flattering random compliments from Callie.

"Sorry if that's weird. It's just…" Callie paused. "I've wanted to tell you that for a really long time."

Arizona met Callie's eyes, a flicker of understanding flowing between the two of them. They had always been able to communicate with each other just through looking into each other's eyes, but now it felt like they were living entire lifetimes together in just one glance. It was the kind of intimacy Arizona had only ever felt during a heated passionate kiss, all wrapped up in a millisecond-long glimpse into Callie's beautiful brown eyes.

She cleared her throat and looked over to the clock. "Shit! It's already 7… I'm late!" She jumped up from her seat, downed the rest of her coffee, and ran to get her shoes from where she had kicked them off the night before.

Callie followed her to the door, grabbing her purse along the way. She held it out for Arizona as she watched her stumble to put her second shoe on.

The blonde grabbed Callie's arm to balance on as she hopped on one foot to pull her second shoe on then slammed her foot to the ground, grabbed her purse, and kissed Callie almost as if it was instinct.

"Thanks, babe! We'll talk later…" Arizona's voice caught when she realized what had just happened. She blushed slightly as she looked at Callie who wore a smug grin on her face. It had felt so natural to just kiss Callie goodbye and she hadn't even thought before she called her babe. She silently chastised herself; she was definitely doing all of this way too quickly. Her internal worry alarm started blaring, screaming that she shouldn't have done any of that if she didn't want Callie to know how she felt. When Callie's lips brushed across her own, the alarm fell silent. She closed her eyes and deepened the kiss, leaning into Callie just as Callie's hands reached up to cup her face.

Callie broke from the kiss and turned to hold the door to her apartment open. "Go on before Karev starts running your floor for you!"

Arizona laughed and stepped outside. "Like that would ever happen. But uhm, Calliope?"

"Hm?" She asked.

"Maybe don't mention any of this?" she waved between the two of them, "to anyone… not yet."

Callie nodded. "I promise. Like you said, we'll talk later."

Arizona smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

Luckily, as soon as Arizona entered the doors of the hospital, she was thrown into the flurry of activity that was a full pediatrics wing full of children in need of live-saving surgeries. Karev and the two interns assigned to her service didn't even notice that she was fifteen minutes late, they just all jumped right in to taking care of their patients for the day. It was almost 1:00 that afternoon when she took her first break.

Callie however, was not so lucky. She cleaned up the dishes from breakfast, tidied up the kitchen, wiped down the counters, picked up the living room, then plopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling until she couldn't turn her mind off anymore. She couldn't get Arizona out of her mind, and the thoughts of everything that had happened in the last 36 hours were racing through her brain at a million miles per second. She huffed in frustration and decided to go for a run. She ran around the block to her favorite park and finished the mile and half loop in record time. She ran back to the apartment, took a shower, and got dressed. She was supposed to be at the hospital at 2, and it was only 10:15. "Gah!" She shouted in frustration as she paced back and forth in her bedroom.

Finally, she gave in, and picked up her phone to call the only person she could think of.

After only two rings, Addison's voice rang through the phone. "Hey! Callie?"

"I KISSED ARIZONA," she blurted out.

"Uhm… you what?" Addison asked.

"I… she…" she breathed a deep sigh, "we kissed," she said, struggling to keep herself from starting a rant in Spanish where her words always seemed to flow faster and easier.

"Oh, uhm, okay. So… you kissed." Addison hadn't heard from Callie in nearly 8 months… clearly things had been changing at Seattle Grace.

"Yeah, and it was amazing and fantastic and incredible and I swear I didn't even think people could actually _**feel**_ like that… like I feel like I've never even kissed anyone before," she paused to take a breath.

"But, of course, I can't tell anyone because you know how gossip goes and no one besides me even knows she's gay so I'm just sitting here and I can't think! I can't even _process_ what's happening because I can't talk to anyone about it and I…" she crashed onto the bed and took a few deep breaths. "I think I'm freaking out a little bit."

Addison's laugh rang through the phone. "Oh, honey, you are _definitely_ freaking out. Breathe, Callie! Breathe!" She laughed and let her friend take a second to collect herself. "Okay, better?"

Callie nodded, but then realized Addison couldn't see her. "Yeah, thank you."

"So… you're speaking the vagina monologues now?" Addison asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Oh, shut up," Callie said with a chuckle. "But yeah, I guess!" Even through everything that had happened, she never considered she was gay… She just knew she liked Arizona. Did that make her gay? "I'm still a huge fan of penis though… huge fan. I slept with Mark a few nights ago, too…"

"You did WHAT?!"

"Yeah, I know I said I would never do that again, but I was running from things, and yeah. It's complicated." Callie rolled her eyes at herself. "Honestly though, I don't think I ever want to kiss anyone else besides Arizona for the rest of my life."

"That good?"

"That good."

"Well, Callie, for what it's worth, you can tell Mark he owes me $50."

"What?!" Callie shot up into a sitting position on her bed.

"He and I have had a bet going for a long time that you two would end up together. I hate to break it to you, Cal, but it was pretty obvious. Mark would've won, but he said it would only take a year and it took three. So I win! HA!" She yelled in victory and laughed.

"I really can't believe you two sometimes," Callie said as she shook her head and chuckled to herself.

"Yeah, well, all that matters is that it's finally happened!"

"Well, yeah… I mean, kind of. We kissed. And she spent the night but we didn't do anything. I just kinda held her all night."

"Callie… that is adorable and you need to stop. I'm single and single people don't like hearing about together people."

"We aren't together, though!"

"Well not yet! But you will be. Trust me."

Callie groaned. "What if she doesn't want to come out to everyone? I mean, I have to respect that, but I don't want us hiding, either."

Addison paused. "Callie, give her time. She'll come out when she's ready. Have you talked to her about it yet?"

"No, we said we'd talk later when she left for the hospital this morning."

"Well, there ya go. Talk to her about it. You two need to be in this **together**; just make sure she knows that."

"I will." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I just want to be with her... perky butterflies and all."

Addison chuckled. "She's still wearing that god awful scrub cap?"

Callie laughed. "Of course she is! She loves that thing."

"Well, give it time. You'll learn to love it, too."

"You know what? I think I will. Thank you, Addison."

Addison laughed gently. "Anytime, Cal. Call me more often! I miss you!"

"I will, I promise. Things have just been a bit crazy, in case you couldn't tell…" she paused, chewing on her lip. "Don't say anything to Mark or anyone, okay?"

"Cross my heart… Talk to you later, chica."

"Bye."

She rolled onto her side and stared at the clock. It was almost 11… she had just enough time to do some grocery shopping then pack a lunch and meet Arizona for a picnic at the park before her shift started. She grabbed her purse and texted the one woman occupying her every thought.

* * *

Arizona pulled her phone out as she collapsed in the chair in her office. She had a new message from Callie waiting for her.

_Hey beautiful! I'm going a little stir crazy here… thought lunch in the park would be nice. How's 1:15 sound?_

Arizona looked at her watch… it only took 10 minutes to get to the park; it was perfect.

_Sounds great if you're still offering… Meet you there?_

Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

_Almost thought you were standing me up! See you soon ;)_

Arizona hung her lab coat on the back of her chair and grabbed her jacket then rolled down the hall towards the elevator. She bounced in place as she waited for the elevator to reach her floor, convinced that it was purposefully taking twice as long to get there. The doors opened with a ding and she grimaced slightly to herself when she saw Mark leaning against the back wall with his phone in his hands, no doubt playing Angry Birds.

He nodded her direction. "Hey, Arizona."

"Hey, Mark." She stood close to the doors and watched the numbers go down excitedly. Callie had been on her mind all morning, and she really couldn't wait to get back to her and her soft kisses.

"Going somewhere?"

"Just to the park. Callie and I are having lunch."

Mark moved forward to stand next to her. "Oh, I'll join, I've got half an hour."

"No!" Arizona almost yelled. Mark stepped back and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, no, uhm… sorry, we've got… stuff… to talk about." Frustration boiled under her skin. Of course Mark would invite himself, they had all always been good friends. But she really just wanted Callie to herself. If she was honest with herself, she was still bitter about Mark sleeping with Callie. She just couldn't get the image of Callie standing in his doorway with her ridiculously sexy hair and dreamy eyes… her stomach spun in jealousy and anger fueled through her veins thinking about it.

Mark's face contorted in confusion. "Like what?"

Arizona looked dead ahead and took a deep breath to gather herself. "It doesn't matter," she spat. "We're going to lunch and we're going to talk and you **aren't** going to be there." Arizona turned to stare into Mark's eyes. "And if you _ever_ even **think** about sleeping with her again, I will beat the crap out of you. Got it?"

His face reddened and the doors opened behind her into the lobby. He nodded slowly and swallowed nervously. "Got it."

"Good. See you later!" She called over her shoulder with a feigned smile, leaving a very stunned and confused Mark behind her.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I had a little *too* much fun last weekend. It was a great birthday though! Thank you everyone who wished me a happy birthday; it means a lot to me! Shout out to scruzx2: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! :D Sorry I missed it! Adding South Africa to the list of countries was pretty much one of the coolest things I've ever done.

As always, thank you SO much for your reviews, favorites, and follows. Your comments about the way I capture emotion in my characters nearly brought me to tears last chapter. It's overwhelmingly amazing to know that my work in bringing characters to life is noticed and even appreciated... Thank you!

So, now Addison knows… how long until Mark finds out, and by extension the entire hospital? Yay picnic lunch date! Things are starting to move along! Let me know what you thought of this chapter and any ideas/questions you have!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Lunch in the Park

* * *

Arizona raced to the park, her acquired confidence from yelling at Mark steadily drifting away from her with every step. She and Callie had eaten lunch here many times over the years, but today felt different. Today, she was meeting not just her best friend, but the best friend that actually knew she was gay; the best friend who had admitted her own feelings and then kissed her, leading to what was undoubtedly the hottest first make out session she had ever experienced. That first kiss was forever seared into her memory; it was so gentle and brief, uncertainty clouding every movement, and yet, in that single expression of long buried feelings, her soul had been freed. She would always remember, too that first look into Callie's eyes that told her she felt the same way.

The wind blew from behind her, sweeping goose bumps across her skin. She pulled her arms tighter around her, wishing instead that they were Callie's. The thought jarred her awake into reality. Callie only _just_ found out she was gay. What if she changed her mind? What if she was just adventuring into new territory? These feelings she had for Callie were too much; they went too deep into her heart and she could almost feel them tearing the muscle apart at the seams already. She stopped in her tracks, staring ahead at the bench where she always met Callie. It was empty. Her breath caught in her throat as her insecurities flew through her mind. _She doesn't actually want me. She didn't actually mean those things. She's confused. She just wants to be friends._

She went to turn around and run back to the hospital before the mental images of her heart being ripped to shreds could become reality, but before she could, strong tan arms wrapped around her from behind as Callie crashed into her back in an excited hug.

"You made it!" Callie laughed into her ear as she kissed her gently on the cheek.

Arizona blushed and turned to face Callie. That's when she saw that huge, mega-watt smile she fell in love with years ago and immediately her heart fluttered, her stomach settled back into place, and the ground felt solid again. She smiled back as confidence flourished through her veins and nodded. "I did! I thought for a second you weren't coming."

Callie creased her brow in confusion. "Of course I was coming," she chuckled, "I invited you! I just forgot the bottles of water at my apartment, so I had to run back to get them." She held up the bottles with a smile and then pointed towards the bench.

Arizona grabbed the bag of food from Callie, freeing one of her hands. She quickly replaced it with her own and entwined their fingers as they walked towards the bench.

"So, what'd you make us, chef?" Arizona asked as they sat down on the bench and she opened the bag of food.

"Your favorite," Callie said with a grin.

Arizona beamed as she pulled out two matching grilled chicken salads. "You even put cranberries and almonds on it!"

Callie chuckled as she took her own salad from Arizona. "I know how much you love it. There's also some carrots in there and a brownie for dessert.

"YOU MADE BROWNIES!?" Arizona dug through the bag and pulled out the sandwich box containing the dessert.

Callie laughed to herself and shook her head as Arizona opened the box and took a bite of one of the brownies, her salad completely forgotten. "Really, Arizona? You're eating the brownie now?"

"Uhm, yeah," she said as if it were the most obvious action in the world. "Oh god, it's still warm. Calliope, you are amazing."

"You're welcome," she said with a chuckle. She reached across Arizona, grabbing her own brownie and taking a bite. "Wow… these are **really** good," she said with her mouth full. She blushed and covered her mouth, realizing she had just broken one of her mother's cardinal rules that had been drilled into her during her years at charm school.

"Real cute, Calliope," Arizona teased as she reached across to grab her bottle of water sitting next to Callie.

"Yeah, whatever, I don't even care. I'm havin' a love affair with this brownie right now."

Arizona laughed and brushed off her fingers then opened her salad. They sat in a comfortable silence, both looking out at the city they both loved. A slight breeze blew Callie's hair past her face towards Arizona, filling her nostrils with the mixture of shampoo and perfume that was uniquely her Calliope. She sighed and took a bit of her salad.

"What're you thinking about?" Callie asked, finally breaking the silence.

Arizona huffed in laughter. "What am I **not** thinking about?" She paused to take another bite. "A lot has happened in the last few days."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Callie asked nervously. She wasn't sure if _she_ was really even ready to talk about it. She didn't really come into this with a plan; she just wanted to spend some time with Arizona.

"Do you?" Arizona asked.

Callie looked over, glancing at Arizona's fingers, nervously fidgeting with her fork. "We should."

Arizona kept her eyes on her food, but nodded slightly. "I know you've probably got a million questions."

Callie set her fork down and turned to face Arizona. Her heart nearly broke when she saw how badly her best friend was shaking. She instinctively wrapped her arm around Arizona's shoulders and pulled her closer. "I do have some questions, not a million though. Sorry to disappoint."

Arizona gave a slight chuckle and leaned her head onto Callie's shoulder.

Callie smiled and looked back over the city. She took a deep breath and laid her head on top of Arizona's. "How about you start? I'm sure you have some questions for me, too."

Arizona chewed her lip, for the first time realizing that she wasn't the only one who had something to explain. The thought hit her suddenly, and she immediately felt like she could fly; she wasn't alone in this. "Alright," she said, a renewed confidence in her voice, "how long have you known you were gay?"

Callie sat back, thinking. "I guess I've always known; I just never really put the label on it. I liked who I liked… I've always been attracted to someone based off of who they were as a person. This is just the first time I've actually liked a girl enough to do something about it."

"So you really do like me?" Arizona asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering but failing.

"Yes, Arizona. I really do like you. Very much," Callie replied.

"I like you, too," Arizona whispered. Callie smiled and kissed the top of Arizona's head. "Okay, your turn," Arizona said as she nestled closer to Callie.

Callie hummed to herself as she contemplated what to ask. "Did you like your lunch?"

"Callie, I'm serious!" Arizona sat up and scoffed at Callie.

"So am I! I worked hard on that salad!" Callie said with a twinkle of amusement in her eye.

Arizona crumbled at the mischievous look she received from her best friend. "Okay, yes, I enjoyed my lunch very much. Thank you."

They both sat in silence, Arizona waiting to hear Callie's actual question.

Finally, Callie broke the silence. "What? It's your turn now."

"_That_ was your question?" Arizona asked. There were a million things Callie could have asked, and she chose something as ridiculous as 'did you like your lunch?'

"Yes, that was my question." Arizona huffed in frustration and rolled her eyes. "Okay, I do have one more," Callie started.

"No, you have to wait. It's my turn now," Arizona said, cutting her off.

Callie laughed and sat back against the bench with a huff. "Okay, go ahead."

Arizona paused and started rolling the cuff of her jacket between her fingers nervously. "Is kissing me different for you? Like, different from kissing a man?"

Callie watched Arizona fidget and took her hand in her own, making the blonde look up into her eyes. "Completely. Kissing you, Arizona is different from anything I've ever felt…" she fumbled to find the right way to describe the feeling she got every time she even thought about kissing Arizona's perfectly soft lips. "It's like coming up for air after drowning my entire life."

Honesty radiated from Callie's eyes, just like it had the night before. Arizona's eyes flickered to Callie's luscious, full lips and she had to stop herself from leaning forward to kiss them. "You know, I thought I had been in love before. But kissing you, Calliope, I feel like I've never _really_ kissed anyone before." Callie drifted closer, but before their lips met, Arizona turned away and embarrassment flooded over her. She wanted to kiss Callie, but they were in public, and after years of hiding, her gut reaction was to do just that: hide. Callie tried not to look hurt, but it was written clearly all over her face. Arizona blushed and buried her head in her hands. "What are we going to do?" she mumbled.

"Look… Arizona, honey, look at me." Callie lifted Arizona's chin so their eyes met. "You're still Arizona. I'm still Callie. You like me, I like you. None of the rest of it **matters**." Arizona's eyes started to water and Callie suddenly felt as though her brain had given up control of her words… that they were now streaming straight from her heart instead. "I know you aren't ready to come out to the entire hospital, and I'm not asking you to. Not yet. I'm just asking you to give me a chance… to give _us_ a chance." A tear built in the corner of her eye and she blinked it away. "You aren't in this alone anymore, I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. And together… together, Arizona, we can do this. We can do anything."

Arizona smiled as a tear fell down her cheek. Callie instantly reached up to wipe it away with her thumb and she left her hand cradling her cheek. She leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. "I never realized you were such a romantic."

"Neither did I," Callie said with a chuckle.

Arizona looked up and searched Callie's eyes. "Okay. Together?"

"Together." Callie said with a smile. She leaned forward, and this time, Arizona didn't turn away. Their lips met and instantly both women leaned into each other, deepening the kiss. Callie adjusted slightly and Arizona met her movements exactly in sync. Callie's heart started to race as she felt a familiar warmth growing in her core as it tightened in anticipation. She traced her hand to the back of Arizona's neck and pulled her in closer. Arizona cupped Callie's face and moaned, sending a gentle buzzing across their lips. Callie smiled as she separated from Arizona, hovering barely an inch away from her to catch her breath. "Do I still get that question?"

Arizona smiled and bit her lip as she nodded slowly. "Mhmm."

"Do you want to go to dinner with me Friday night?"

"I would love to." Arizona smiled as she leaned forward to briefly brush her lips against Callie's. The kiss quickly grew heated and soon Arizona was practically in Callie's lap and their hands were wandering across each other's bodies.

A chill flew through the air and blew Callie's hair into a frenzied mess around them. They separated as they laughed and Callie attempted to fix her hair. They looked up and realized for the first time since they sat down together that a storm was quickly rolling in. A clap of thunder sounded in the distance, signaling rain in the not too distant future. Callie stood up and offered her hand to Arizona. "Come on… let's get out of here before we get wet."

"A little late for that," Arizona answered under her breath as she let Callie pull her up and into her arms.

Callie's eyes grew wide in surprise. She knew they had both gotten a bit worked up, but she had never even heard Arizona joke about something like that. "What did you just say?"

Arizona laughed and wrapped her arm around Callie's waist. "Nothing, come on, let's get back to the hospital."

"Arizona Robbins, this is a side of you I've never seen before," Callie said with a smirk.

"Oh, there's a lot of me you've never seen before, Calliope," Arizona teased as she pulled on the hem of Callie's jacket.

"Well, we should fix that," Callie said, her voice involuntarily lowering with a sultry swing as she brushed her lips against Arizona's. She had no intention of stopping the kiss, but another crash of thunder startled them apart. They both laughed and looked up just as the rain started to fall.

Callie reached around Arizona's waist as their laughter rang out through the park. Arizona shrieked as it started to rain harder and they looked to each other with an excited grin. Callie leaned forward and kissed Arizona again then broke free and grabbed her hand as they broke out in a run towards the shelter of the hospital.

* * *

**AN: **I had a lot of fun writing this chapter… I hope you all enjoyed reading it! What'd you think of Callie's little speech?

This story now has 50 favorites! I honestly **cannot** believe that… you all are much too kind. I'm relieved y'all liked Arizona's little confrontation with Mark. I wasn't sure about adding that part, but I felt like she just wouldn't have been able to _not_ yell at him. Also, I absolutely love Addison and her friendship with Callie, so that will definitely be a part of this fic.

LydiaD – That's a great idea! I love writing holidays (both with extended family and just Calzona), so that will definitely be something that shows up.

Relicario – My first Portuguese review! Hello to Brazil! :D I'm happy you're enjoying the story and I hope you keep reading :)

toi von d – You're definitely right. We'll see in the next chapter exactly how much Mark has pieced together and if he's right or not in his assumptions.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Rumor Weed

Callie sighed as the gentle wind of the hospital air conditioning blew past her, her feet carrying her closer and closer to her office. A chill was settling into her skin and creeping its way into her bones as the rain that ended her impromptu picnic date soaked into her clothes. She rubbed her hands across her arms, trying to thwart off the growing goose bumps peppered across her skin. One thing was for sure, she had never been so eager to change into a pair of nice warm, dry scrubs. She breathed on her hands and rubbed them together in an effort to warm them as she picked up her pace and rounded the last corner before her office. What she wasn't expecting was to see Mark leaning against the glass window next to her door.

His gaze was fixed on his phone but when he heard her footsteps, he immediately looked up and threw his phone into his pocket. He crossed his arms and leaned against the window.

"Can I help you?" Callie asked nonchalantly as she unlocked her door.

Mark checked over his shoulder then back to Callie. "What's up with you and blondie?"

Callie looked up at him suddenly, but immediately wiped away the stupid grin she knew her sudden wave of nerves caused. She cursed her cheeks for betraying her with their crimson flush as she hurried her way into her office. "What do you mean?" She threw her bag on her desk. "Nothing's going on…" She ran her fingers through her damp and tangled hair with a huff. "Nothing. Why? What's going on with you?"

Mark raised one eyebrow, clearly picking up on her nervous ticks. "Oh, sure. Nothing is going on…" He leaned against her open door and wiggled his eyebrow. "C'mon… just one tiny little detail?"

Callie's mouth dropped open in shock. "Mark!"

"Cal, it's obvious..." He shut the door behind him and with two strides crossed the floor of her office and plopped down into one of the chairs across from her. "Well, to me… it's obvious. Something's going on and I want in on it! Come on! We tell each other everything."

Callie sat down and folded her arms across her chest. "No we don't. Especially not this, Mark. You'll find out when and if you need to and not before. Now get out of here. I'm wet and cold and I have a surgery in ten minutes."

Mark stared into her eyes, hoping she would crack, but years of staring contests with her sister Aria had prepared her well. She didn't even flinch as his eyebrow rose questioningly and he leaned forward, hoping to yield some sort of response. Finally, he stood up with a huff and crossed the small room back to the door and swung it open. "Whatever it is, I'll find out one way or another." He spun around to face Callie. "I always do." He winked and shut the door behind him as he sauntered away towards his own surgical wing.

Arizona's phone buzzed in her pocket as she rushed towards her final surgery of the day. She knew it could only be one person and the thought warmed her from her toes to the tips of every golden strand of hair flowing from her head. She felt a giddy smile pull at her lips as she fumbled through her lab coat to find her phone.

_Hey you :) Good luck on your surgery – text me when you get out and I'll bring coffee. XOXO Callie_

She bit her bottom lip and typed out a thank you, squealing just a little bit as she put her phone back in her pocket.

As soon as she entered her OR, the walls around her crumbled away, the ticking of the clock and the steady beeping of her patient's monitor became the only sounds to enter her mind. It was here, in the silent chaos of the OR that Arizona felt truly and fully herself. This is where she belonged; where her skilled hands could perform the life-saving procedures they were trained for. Her mind could remain so focused that the stresses of her life could disappear, vanish into an ominous oblivion where it remained until she made that final closing stitch. As her deft fingers finished the final stitch to her surgery, the walls slowly rebuilt and the quiet murmur of nurses shuffling to prepare to clean up the OR and the sounds of footsteps racing down the halls to the next emergency flooded her senses. She took a deep breath as she stepped away from the operating table. Usually, this was when the stresses of her life overcame her and she had to remember to breathe, but today was different. Today her heart fluttered and a smile pulled at her lips. Today she was going to have coffee with Calliope. Her Calliope. With that thought, she practically ran for the scrub room doors, a dumb grin plastered across her face.

Callie sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, watching the heavy rain pelt the large windows facing the courtyard. She sipped her coffee, wincing at the sting of the hot liquid passing through her lips and crashing against her tongue. She set the cup down and coughed, trying to clear her throat.

"How many times do I have to remind you to not drink coffee right away when Jeremy makes it?" Arizona sat down across from Callie, wrapping her hands around the warm cup of coffee waiting for her. She settled into her seat and smiled warmly at Callie.

Callie smiled back in the way that only she ever could. Arizona marveled at the kindness and warmth radiating from that stunning smile and her gorgeous eyes. It instantly sent a shiver down her spine and she instinctively reached out to take her strong hand in her own. Callie squeezed her hand gently, her eyes flickering down to watch how her tanned olive skin complimented Arizona's pale fingers so beautifully before Arizona pulled her hand away and placed it in her lap.

Callie let her hand linger on the table for a brief moment, wishing their contact hadn't ended. "I guess just one more time." She said teasingly as she took another sip. She immediately regretted it as the hot liquid burned its way down her throat.

Arizona laughed as Callie entered into a coughing fit and rolled her eyes. "You're a lost cause, Calliope."

Callie laughed and purposefully scooted her coffee away from her hands. "Well, maybe. But I'm your lost cause… just remember that."

Arizona chuckled and leaned forward onto her elbows. "Oh dear God… you're right. What was I thinking?"

Callie smirked and raised one eyebrow. "That I'm hot."

Arizona's cheeks flushed a deep red and she involuntarily licked her lips. A tension rose into the air with every passing moment that Arizona allowed the silence between them to build.

"Who's hot?" Mark sat down in the chair beside the girls at the end of the table and took a bite of his apple.

Callie shook her head and looked at Mark with guilt written all over her face.

"The coffee… it's too hot and yet she insists on still drinking it before it has a chance to cool down," Arizona stated confidently.

Mark took another bite. "Jesus, Callie. How many times are you gonna burn yourself on Jeremy's stupid coffee?"

Arizona threw her hands up. "See, Calliope!? Even Mark knows not to drink Jeremy's coffee right away!"

Callie's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief as chuckles erupted from deep within her chest. "You guys are absolutely ridiculous, you know that?"

Mark and Arizona traded a look of surprise then looked at Callie with an expression full of betrayal. "Who? Us?" Arizona pointed towards Mark and herself. "Never!"

The trio sat and chuckled as a comfortable silence settled around them. "So, any plans this weekend?"

"No," "Yes," they both shouted simultaneously. Arizona and Callie locked eyes, each shaking their head slightly at the other.

"Yes," "No," they said, their voices blending. They locked eyes again, agitation building behind each woman's eyes.

Mark looked at Callie and then at Arizona, then back at Callie, a mischievous grin pulling at this lips. "Right. Well, while you two figure it out, I have a surgery to get to. Bye ladies!" Mark pushed away from the table and left the cafeteria feeling very proud of himself.

"Did you say anything to him?" Arizona spat in a low whisper as soon as Mark left the cafeteria.

"No! I swear!" Callie shrunk closer to Arizona. "He came to my office earlier asking questions, but I didn't say anything!" Arizona eyed her suspiciously. "I promise! Arizona… I promise I didn't say anything."

Arizona watched Callie carefully then leaned back with a huff. "Okay, I believe you. He just makes me so nervous!"

"Why?" Callie asked.

"Because… because he's Mark!" Arizona stated as if it were an observation of the color of the sky at midday.

"So?" Callie cocked her head to the side. Arizona laughed sarcastically and stood to leave, but Callie grabbed her arm and pulled her gently back down to the table. "We can trust him. I trust him."

Arizona's smile fell from her lips as she looked Callie in the eyes. "I don't. I trust you and that's it."

Callie watched as Arizona's typically carefree eyes filled again with sadness and pain. She couldn't help but have a part of her heart break for her and she wanted to do nothing more than just wrap her arms around her and protect her from ever having to be hurt again. She nodded slowly. "Okay," she whispered.

Arizona dropped her gaze as she walked out of the cafeteria. Callie followed her into the empty hallway. "I have to get going, my shift ended almost an hour ago," Arizona said as she looked over her shoulder and back at Callie. "Thank you for the coffee."

"Anytime, babe," Callie said with a small smile.

Arizona gave a wide smile, her dimples showing for the first time all afternoon. She never thought she could ever have a pet name make her so instantly happy. But the way Callie called her babe made her heart race. She leaned in and brushed her lips quickly against Callie's. "I'll see you Friday."

Callie's heart dropped as she realized that their date on Friday would be the next time they saw each other. "That long?"

Arizona nodded. "It'll be over so fast, it'll be like you blinked and the week disappeared."

Callie groaned. "I highly doubt that. I can't stop thinking about you."

"I can't either." Arizona leaned in to kiss Callie again, this time lingering for a moment longer so she could try to memorize the feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was new, something she had never felt before, and she was quickly becoming a hardcore addict.

"Okay. I can do this. Friday. That's only a few days… it won't be too bad," Callie said as she wrung her hands nervously.

Arizona turned to walk away. "Yes it will be."

"Yeah. It will be," Callie muttered to herself as she watched Arizona step through the front doors and into the pouring rain.

Arizona turned as the sliding automatic doors closed behind her and blew a kiss. She smiled as Callie pretended to catch it then waved. It was going to be the longest week of her life.

* * *

**AN**: I'm so sorry! Just want to get that out of the way. I never intended to leave my stories this long and I can't apologize enough for having such a long break!

That being said… This is a shorter chapter just for me to get back into the swing of writing. So, let me know what your thoughts were on this chapter and where you think the story should go! Or just tell me how much you hate me for leaving this story for so long :P

For my Awakened readers – expect an update on that story by the end of the week!

As always, thank you for reading and being such amazingly faithful readers. Loves and stuff! - Tina


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